How To Properly Clean Your Picture Frames
Realistically, you’re unlikely to clean your frames that regularly. Maybe a quick dust when you’re getting everything else, but for the most part they just don’t get super dirty. Over a longer period of time though they can gather a bit of grub. Dust tends to gather and stick, someone is bound to touch the glass and leave some fingerprints, and fly spots are a bit inevitable. We recommend occasionally giving them a deep clean to make sure they’re nice and sparkly.
Because we see when things go wrong, these are the tips we give our customers to ensure they safely and properly clean their frames.
Microfibre cloths make the world of difference. They’re softer meaning less damage to the finish of the frame, and will gather all the dust into the cloth really quickly so you’re not just moving it around, possibly scratching the finsih.
Give the frame a dust and then go in with cleaners if need be. Start off by going over the frame with your clean, dry microfibre cloth to clear up any dust. From there, if you need it, bring the cleaners in to get rid of more stubborn bits, from warm water with a bit of gentle soap, to glass cleaner or isopropanol alcohol.
Never spray glass cleaner directly onto the frame or glass. When you spray product directly onto glass, it distributes a lot of liquid very quickly, and it immediately starts running down and gather at the bottom where the glass meets the frame. From there, it may soak into the mat board, the backing board, and the print causing water damage and staining. Instead, spray the cleaner directly onto the cloth and then wipe down the glass. This just helps to only distribute enough product to get the job done.
Cotton buds work great for stubborn bits of grime! From fly spots to dust build up, a cotton bud with a little warm water will work wonders on a lot of little spots of grime. If you’re contending with finger prints, a little bit go glass cleaner or isopropanol alcohol will help cut through the oils from the skin and get those stubborn marks off.